Effect of NMDA on the activity of cortical glutaminergic structures in delayed visual differentiation in monkeys

The effect of intracortical perfusion with the glutamate agonist NMDA on visual recognition and short-term memory, as well as an on the responses of visual cortex neurons, were studied in rhesus macaques. A microdialysis technique was used in combination with multichannel microelectrode recording of single cortical cells in the immediate vicinity of the dialysis tube in a behavioral experiment in which the monkey had to solve a task involving delayed visual differentiation of stimuli of different colors. NMDA altered the characteristics of recognition in monkeys. The duration of information storage in short-term memory was increased significantly (2-4-fold), and there was a significant reduction in the motor response time for all delay periods. These changes were accompanied by a significant rearrangement of neuron activity in the visual cortex at all stages of the behavioral task. At different stages of the task, 70-85% of the neurons showed 2-5-fold increases in activity, while 6-20% showed reductions in activity. These results demonstrate an involvement of visual cortex glutaminergic structures in the process of visual recognition and short-term memory, as well as a nootropic effect obtained by intracortical administration of NMDA.